2000
#4,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,709
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.49
Rare Last name
Byron
An aristocratic English surname derived from a place name meaning "place of the cow sheds" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,109 Americans carry the last name Byron. That puts it at #5,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byron surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Byron with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,214
Census rank
#5,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,199 bearers of the surname Byron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byron, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Byron
The surname BYRON has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "byre" meaning a cow-shed or barn, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a cattle-barn or farmstead.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name come from the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it appears as "William de la Byron". It is also found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379 as "Johannes Byron". These early spellings highlight the name's evolution from its Old English roots.
In the 16th century, the BYRON family held lands in Nottinghamshire, centered around the village of Newstead Abbey. Sir John BYRON (1599-1652) was an English Royalist and served as Lieutenant of the Tower of London during the English Civil War. His great-grandson, William BYRON (1722-1798), inherited the family estate and became the 5th Baron Byron of Rochdale.
Perhaps the most famous individual with the surname is the renowned Romantic poet, Lord George Gordon BYRON (1788-1824). Born into the aristocratic BYRON family, he achieved literary fame for his narrative poems such as "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" and "Don Juan". His flamboyant lifestyle and complicated personal life only added to his legendary status.
Another notable figure was the English explorer and navigator, John BYRON (1723-1786). He circumnavigated the globe on the HMS Dolphin between 1764 and 1766, and his voyage contributed significantly to the mapping of the Pacific Ocean.
In the world of theatre, Ada BYRON (1815-1852), the daughter of Lord Byron, was a pioneering figure in computer programming. She worked with Charles Babbage on his proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, and is considered a trailblazer in the field of computer science.
The BYRON surname has a rich history, spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse fields, including literature, exploration, and science. While its origins can be traced back to rural England, the name has since become globally recognized, thanks to the enduring legacy of its most famous bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byron
Among Census respondents with the surname Byron, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Byron bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Byron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 4,693
- Black or African American15.6% · 964
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 248
- Two or more races3.6% · 225
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byron
Byron appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,610
-99 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 465 places
2020
#5,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,199
-411 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,810 | 6,709 | 2.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,275 | 6,610 | 2.24 | -99 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 465 places |
| 2020 | #5,434 | 6,199 | 2.07 | -411 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 159 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Byron surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,275 | #5,434 | -3.0% |
| Count | 6,610 | 6,199 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 2.07 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byron bearers went from 6,610 to 6,199 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,275 to #5,434.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Byron
FAQ
Byron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byron?
Name Census estimates that about 7,109 living Americans carry the surname Byron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,214 residents.
How common is Byron?
Byron ranks #5,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,199 people with the surname Byron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Byron.
Has Byron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byron went from 6,610 recorded bearers to 6,199. That is a decrease of 411 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,275 to #5,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Byron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byron, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Byron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (4,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (15.6%), Hispanic (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Byron (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Byron mean?
An aristocratic English surname derived from a place name meaning "place of the cow sheds" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Byron (2.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Byron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.